das  Gestell

B1

Estimated CEFR level.

/ɡəˈʃtɛl/

📚 What does "das Gestell" mean?

Das Gestell (noun, neuter) refers to a supporting structure, a frame, or a rack that serves to hold, support, or give shape to something. It's a very versatile word and can apply to various objects.

• 🔩 A frame or framework: The basic structure of furniture (e.g., Tischgestell - table frame, Bettgestell - bed frame), equipment, or constructions.
• 👓 Eyeglass frames: The frame holding the lenses (Brillengestell).
• 🧺 A rack or stand: For placing or drying things (e.g., Wäschegestell - clothes drying rack, Tellergestell - plate rack, Fahrradgestell - bicycle rack).
• 🚗 A chassis: The load-bearing structure of a vehicle (Fahrgestell).
• 🦴 Figuratively: Sometimes used colloquially for the human physique or skeleton (rather rare and informal).

⚠️ It is always neuter: das Gestell.

Article rules for der, die, and das

🧐 Grammar and Declension of "das Gestell"

"Das Gestell" is a noun with the neuter article "das". Here is the declension:

📝 Example Sentences

1. Das Gestell des Stuhls ist aus Metall gefertigt. (The frame of the chair is made of metal.)
2. Ich brauche ein neues Gestell für meine Brille. (I need new frames for my glasses.)
3. Stell die Teller bitte in das Gestell zum Trocknen. (Please put the plates in the rack to dry.)
4. Die Werkstatt repariert das verbogene Gestell des Fahrrads. (The workshop is repairing the bent frame of the bicycle.)
5. Wir haben mehrere Gestelle für die Lagerregale bestellt. (We ordered several frames / racks for the storage shelves.)

💡 How to use "das Gestell"?

"Das Gestell" is often used in contexts involving objects that have a supporting function or provide a shape.

• In everyday life: You talk about Brillengestell (glasses frames), Wäschegestell (drying rack), Bettgestell (bed frame), or Fahrradgestell (bike rack/frame).
• In crafts and technology: Here, it often refers to Maschinengestelle (machine frames), Regalgestelle (shelf frames/racks), or the Fahrgestell (chassis) of a car.
• In furniture making: The Tischgestell (table frame) or Stuhlgestell (chair frame) is the base of the piece of furniture.

Comparison with similar words:

• Rahmen (frame): Often synonymous, but "Rahmen" tends to emphasize the border (Bilderrahmen - picture frame), while "Gestell" highlights the supporting structure.
• Gerüst (scaffolding, framework): More likely used for larger, often temporary structures (Baugerüst - scaffolding) or abstract frameworks.
• Ständer (stand): Mostly for smaller, free-standing holders (Notenständer - music stand, Mikrofonständer - microphone stand).

The choice of word depends on the specific context and object.

🧠 Mnemonics

For the article: Think of things built from parts, often technical or neutral items, which tend to be das in German (like das Auto, das System). A Gestell is a constructed, neutral structure, hence das Gestell.

For the meaning: The word Gestell contains "stell", from the verb stellen (to put, place, set). A Gestell is something you set things on or into, or something that is set up as a structure.

↔️ Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms (similar meaning):

• Rahmen: Frame, especially for borders or flatter structures (e.g., Fensterrahmen - window frame, but also Bettrahmen - bed frame).
• Gerüst: Framework, scaffolding, often for larger, more complex or temporary structures (e.g., Baugerüst - construction scaffolding, Klettergerüst - climbing frame).
• Ständer: Stand, rack, usually for devices to stand or hold things (e.g., Wäscheständer - clothes stand/rack, Notenständer - music stand).
• Unterbau / Untergestell: Substructure, base frame, emphasizes the lower, supporting part.
• Träger / Halterung: Support, holder, bracket, more general term for something that holds something else.
• Chassis: Specifically for the frame of a vehicle.

Antonyms (opposite meaning):

Direct antonyms are difficult as "Gestell" describes a structure. Conceptually, one could contrast:

• Inhalt / Füllung: Contents / filling, what is held by or inside the frame.
• Verkleidung / Bezug: Cladding / cover, what covers the frame (e.g., the fabric on a chair frame).
• Chaos / Unordnung: Chaos / disorder, in a figurative sense, if "Gestell" stands for structure.

😄 A Little Joke

Warum hat das Brillengestell beim Optiker gekündigt?

Es hatte einfach keinen Durchblick mehr! 😉

(Why did the glasses frame quit its job at the optician's? - It simply lost perspective / couldn't see clearly anymore! ["Durchblick haben" means both to see clearly and to understand/have perspective])

📜 A Poem about the Gestell

Ein Gestell, so stark und schlicht,
gibt Halt und Form, erfüllt die Pflicht.
Ob Holz, ob Stahl, ob Plastik fein,
es trägt die Last, muss stabil sein.
Für Brillengläser, klar und rein,
für Wäsche nass im Sonnenschein.
Das Gestell, oft unbemerkt,
doch ohne es wär' viel verquerkt.

(A frame, so strong and plain,
gives support and shape, fulfills its duty.
Whether wood, or steel, or plastic fine,
it bears the load, must stable be.
For eyeglass lenses, clear and clean,
for laundry wet in sunshine sheen.
The frame, often unnoticed,
but without it, much would be distorted.)

🧩 Little Riddle

Ich habe Arme, doch umarme nicht.
Ich trage Lasten, hab' kein Eigengewicht.
Ich gebe Form, doch bin oft selbst versteckt.
Man braucht mich sehr, werd' selten nur entdeckt.

Was bin ich?

(I have arms, but do not embrace.
I carry loads, have no weight of my own.
I give shape, yet am often hidden myself.
I am needed much, yet rarely discovered.)

What am I?

Solution: Das Gestell (The frame/rack/structure)

📌 Other Interesting Information

Word Formation: The word "Gestell" is a collective noun (Sammelbegriff) formed with the prefix "Ge-" from the verb "stellen" (to place, to put, to set). It originally denoted a collection of parts put together to form a structure.

Versatility: The vast range of objects that can be called a "Gestell" (from delicate Brillengestelle to robust Maschinengestelle) shows the usefulness of this general term for supporting structures in German.